Help / Set up
Connecting away from home
The iPhone & iPad companion app is in release testing — it isn't on the App Store yet, and this guide describes the current test build.
The Android companion app is in release testing — it isn't on Google Play yet, and this guide describes the current test build.
A pairing isn’t tied to your home network. Any route that reaches the Mac works — no re-pairing needed. Tailscale (free for personal use) is the easiest route.
On the Mac
- Install Tailscale and sign the Mac into your tailnet. LocalPhotos needs no configuration — it listens on the same port (51900) on every interface.
- The Mac must be awake with LocalPhotos running for devices to reach it. Full-resolution photos travel over your Mac’s upload bandwidth.
With Tailscale
- Install Tailscale on both the Mac and this device, signed into the same tailnet.
- In the app, open Settings → Mac Synchronization → Connect Away From Home, and enter the Mac’s Tailscale IP (it starts with 100.x), port 51900.
- Connect — your existing pairing is accepted. Back on home Wi-Fi, the app switches to the local network by itself.
With Tailscale
- Install Tailscale on both the Mac and the phone, signed into the same tailnet.
- In the app, choose Connect by Address and enter the Mac’s Tailscale IP (it starts with 100.x), port 51900.
- Connect — your existing pairing is accepted, and browsing works as if you were home.
Good to know
- Everything already synced — thumbnails, people, places, search — works offline with no connection at all. Remote access is for originals, new syncs, and edits.
- All traffic is encrypted between your own devices; nothing passes through any LocalPhotos server (there aren’t any).
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